Revis injury complicates future negotiations

Posted by Mike Florio on September 30, 2012, 8:26 AM EDT

AP

On Friday, Jets coach Rex Ryan explained during Pro Football Talk that the season-ending ACL tear suffered by cornerback Darrelle Revis will have no impact on the team’s ability to sign Revis to a retirement contract.

The player’s current contract suggests otherwise.

As explained earlier this week on PFT Live, the timing of the ACL tear couldn’t have been worse. Prior to the injury, the thinking was that a new deal would be worked out early next year, before the 2013 season. But now that Revis has to prove that he can get back to being the guy he has been after rehabbing the injury, the Jets won’t want to give him what he thinks he’s worth if/when he’s healthy.

Instead, Revis may have to use 2013 to prove that he’s still healthy. Which could prompt him to decide to play out the final year of his contract. Which would make it more likely that he becomes a free agent, since the Jets can’t use the franchise tag on Revis in 2014.

And 2014 is where things will get interesting, if Revis won’t be able to get what he wants unless he shows he can still play. Because if he shows he can still play, the Jets will have to pay him market value in order to keep him from getting to the market.

12 responses to “Revis injury complicates future negotiations”

Many players that have come back from an ACL tear have not been able to play at the same high level as they did before.

That would be another good story for PFT to write about. Although every case is different what percentage of players over the last few years came back and played like before and what percentage did not after an ACL tear.

really feel sorry for the guy,after all it must be terrible to paid for not playing this year under that horrible deal that only paid him what 28 mil. over 4 years? then having to prove he is healthy before signing another big contract he can whine about 2 years after he signs it.

As much as I love Revis as a player, a torn ACL is hard to come back from.

I say he comes back strong, but not like he has played previously.

But to be honest, in 2014 I don’t think it matters. We should have given up on Sanchez before them and hopefully drafted a RB, so by then the whole dynamics of the team would have change. Who knows where we’ll be at?

I think you pretty much nail it. Either the Jets have to sign Revis to an extension this offseason without knowing how well he is going to play, or Revis hits the free agent market in ’14 and goes to the highest bidder. I wouldn’t want to be in the Jets’ position, as neither option is preferable.

One thing we pretty much know for certain is that Revis will still think he deserves to be the highest paid defensive player in the game. His ego throughout these past holdouts have shown that he thinks he is worth more than he probably is, and I don’t think a knee injury is going to change that. If anything, it may make him more resolute seeing how he wanted to get paid this past offseason to protect himself in case he got injured.

j0esixpack says:
Sep 30, 2012 9:54 AM
I’m sure Revis won’t make any unreasonable demands for an expensive contract until such time he’s proven he’s healthy and still on top of his game.

He strikes me as a well balanced individual who always puts the team before his personal interests.

Let’s all admit – when you think of intelligent, unselfish, humble players, Revis is the first player that comes to mind.
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It’s sarcasm, right? He doesn’t have the nickname Mevis for nothing.